A Study of Consumer Behavior Towards the Retention Strategies of the Four Largest Mobile Phone Operators in Brazil

ABSTRACT This work aimed to check the attitude of consumers towards the maintenance strategies of relationship between enterprise/consumer, having as a field of study the four major mobile phone operators in the country (Claro, Oi, Tim, and Vivo). Its importance focuses on the contribution to studies on retention of consumers, principally in the research on the attitude of the consumer towards the retention strategies of organizations. To this end, the survey was divided into two steps. The first, qualitative, aimed to identify, through literature, how organizations can use such strategies through primary data collection and direct contact with companies which were used by the service providers. Subsequently, the second step was quantitative, by performing a survey with interviewers who collected the data by applying questionnaires directly to consumers, addressing them in shopping-malls and supermarkets it was verified which were their attitudes against the strategies identified in the first step. The results from the analysis obtained through statistical processing of data using software (SPSS), has brought important contributions, both to the literature on consumer attitude, and for managers in the management of relationships with their customers. The results have shown that the attitude of consumers in their three components (behavior, cognition and affection), are presented in different ways toward on retention strategies in the four ties (financial, social, structural and customization) used by mobile phone operators.